A field-installable optical connector is a known example of a device for connecting optical fibers by abutting the optical fibers' respective end surfaces against one another. The field-installable optical connector is a type of optical connector having a structure that can be easily assembled to a terminal of an optical cable at an optical fiber laying site. A built-in fiber is factory-preinstalled in a ferrule of an optical connector before assembly, and an end section of the built-in fiber is arranged in a clamp section (mechanical splice). At the site of assembly, an outer sheath gripping member is made to grip an outer sheath of an optical cable, and an end section of a fiber to be inserted is stripped and exposed from the optical cable, and is inserted into the clamp section, and the optical fibers abut against one another and are connected inside the clamp section.
Patent Literature 1 describes a structure of an outer sheath gripping member that is used for a field-installable optical connector. The outer sheath gripping member of Patent Literature 1 has gripping projections formed on respective opposing surfaces of a pair of side wall sections. The gripping projections are wedged into an outer sheath of an optical cable, to grip and fix the optical cable between the pair of side wall sections.